Florida Hospital Group to Offer Health Insurance to Patients

The Florida Hospital group has announced it will begin offering patients health insurance starting in January 2014.

The Daytona-based Florida Hospital, which has five hospitals in the state, is part of the Adventist Health System, the largest not-for-profit health system in the country with 44 hospitals located in 10 states. The hospital is already providing health care services to low income and underprivileged patients at subsidized costs.

Florida Hospital is also planning to put the product in Florida’s health insurance exchange that is set to be established under the federal Affordable Care Act.

The five Florida Hospitals located in the state are working with the Brevard Country-based Health First Health Plans that will oversee the policies and create the administrative infrastructure to process claims and provide other services. The hospitals are also working to establish a physician network.

Health First Health Plans is the second largest provider of Medicare Advantage and commercial plans in the state.

Last month two of Atlanta’s largest hospital systems announced plans to form their own insurance company. Piedmont Healthcare and WellStar Health System said they will launch a variety of insurance products in 2014 for their own employees and their relatives. They will operate their new insurance company as a joint venture for-profit enterprise.